Based on interviews over the past several weeks with current and former players, I'm told that a current gay NFL player is strongly considering coming out publicly within the next few months -- and after doing so, the player would attempt to continue his career.

I'm told this player feels the time is now for someone to take this step -- despite homophobic remarks from San Francisco 49ers defensive back Chris Culliver and the controversy arising recently at the Indianapolis Scouting combine, when prospects were asked questions about their sexuality.

This player's true concern, I'm told, is not the reaction inside an NFL locker room but outside of it. The player fears he will suffer serious harm from homophobic fans, and that is the only thing preventing him from coming out. My sources will not say who this alleged player is.

It will be a very, very long time before a homosexual comes out in the NFL. JMO and I certainly would never say never, but it's gonna be a long time before it happens.

If you say so. A bunch of NFL players (including the immediate past president of the players' association) have made public statements or signed off on briefs supporting the gay marriage cases which will be heard by the S.Ct. this week. Some of them went so far as to have their own brief written in support.

Per Freeman, the player fears the reaction not from within the locker room, but from homophobic fans. And that’s a legitimate concern; the combination of paying for a ticket and supporting a team and consuming a little alcohol (or a lot) turns normal people into loud, classless, profane jerks who will do and say anything to get under the skin of the members of the visiting team. And sometimes the members of the home team.

This is a tough one. There are a lot of homophobic people out there, and I'm pretty sure that football has more than it's fair share of fans that fall into this category.

Personally, I couldn't care less what someone's sexual orientation is. It's not my business and who am I to tell them that they're wrong? I have noticed that TV shows have incorporated more gay characters into their shows, so people are not as shocked as they used to be. Having said that, there are people out there who won't watch those shows because of that very reason and this anonymous player's concerns about fans boycotting him or his team are very valid.

I think it really boils down to whether or not the player needs to feel validated for being openly gay. There will be backlash to some degree, the severity will just depend on the market that the player plays in. We all know that some places are more acceptable than others.

__________________If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse.

This is a tough one. There are a lot of homophobic people out there, and I'm pretty sure that football has more than it's fair share of fans that fall into this category.

Personally, I couldn't care less what someone's sexual orientation is. It's not my business and who am I to tell them that they're wrong? I have noticed that TV shows have incorporated more gay characters into their shows, so people are not as shocked as they used to be. Having said that, there are people out there who won't watch those shows because of that very reason and this anonymous player's concerns about fans boycotting him or his team are very valid.

I think it really boils down to whether or not the player needs to feel validated for being openly gay. There will be backlash to some degree, the severity will just depend on the market that the player plays in. We all know that some places are more acceptable than others.

The severity will also depend on who the player is. I think there would be a much different reaction if Calvin Johnson or Tom Brady came out as gay as opposed to the Vikings backup left guard or the Browns long snapper.

Are you gay? Do you wish you could be a polygamist? Do you worship satan? Cha...I don't CARE if you're a good football player and not hurting anyone or breaking any laws. Some said Earnest Givens was. I don't know if he was or not but it doesn't change my opinion of the fact that he remains my favorite Oiler receiver. Some say Jacoby Jones is. My utter disrespect for Jones wouldn't be altered one bit if he was or wasn't.

__________________"Why attack a man for his race or religion when there are so many other PERFECTLY good reasons?" :Dreademiah 2:16 Dread-Head. Texan from DAY ONE & PROUD Honorary Blue Crew member..."Damn it Bill!"

“First and foremost, I have to say I’m not here as a Baltimore Raven,” Ayanbadejo said, via Erik Brady of USA Today. “I’m actually here as a patriot — as a patriot to uphold the Constitution of the United States. . . .

__________________The Invisible Poster!Cynic at work, do not mind me; move along nothing to see here!

Meh, I wouldn't care if a player is openly gay but it could cause trouble in a locker room. I don't think it's right that a person feels that they cannot be who they want to be, but it's their colleagues that do that to them, not the fans really.

Meh, I wouldn't care if a player is openly gay but it could cause trouble in a locker room. I don't think it's right that a person feels that they cannot be who they want to be, but it's their colleagues that do that to them, not the fans really.

Especially if there are hard-core religious types in the locker room. I can just see the media not just bugging the heck out of the gay dude but asking pointed questions of the guys whose faith is strictly opposed to gay tolerance in any form.

Yeah, the mess will come mainly from the media just to keep some crap stirred up. And keep the phone lines filled and their web-sites jumping.

Meh, I wouldn't care if a player is openly gay but it could cause trouble in a locker room. I don't think it's right that a person feels that they cannot be who they want to be, but it's their colleagues that do that to them, not the fans really.

I agree with what Obsi is saying about the fact that the media would try to stir things up. I think the actual workplace stuff is overblown. I have worked in several offices in Houston with openly gay people (including having supervised a few) and other than an initial titillation of "did you hear he or she is gay" it was done. No harassment, essentially no comments behind their backs, they weren't shunned from private parties nor while at business events like the Christmas Party when they brought their partner.

Football players can be just as capable of being intolerant hypocritical d-bags as anyone else in this country, so yeah, I can see how it could be a problem for some.

But I think drunk morons in the stands are the ones that will really make it difficult for him. Every city has them, and as long as they are paying customers, NFL teams will continue to have low standards in order to take their money.

Free country and all that jazz, but I would not blame him at all for staying in the closet while being an active player in the NFL.

__________________"Football is only a diversion." ~ Houston Texans, Inc.

There's few if any demographics in this country that expresses its machismo beliefs with more bravado on the one hand and on the other maintains a more enduring belief in its Christian faith than young, male African-Americans who also happen to dominate in the NFL both on its playing fields and in its locker rooms. And lots and lots of things are gonna have to change before the intimacy of those locker rooms is extended to a gay member.